austin Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Compassionate Women

Arlo’s: Vegan Food Done Right

September 3, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Meet Arlo’s Bac’n Cheez Burger. Me and BCB (for short) are good friends.

Us vegans are just like everyone else. I know some people may think all we eat is tofu and carrots and hemp seeds (and yes, we do eat those things) but we want to indulge in comfort food too, dang it! 🍔🍟

That’s where Arlo’s comes in. If you live in Austin, Texas – aka Land of Vegan Bliss – then you are in luck. Arlo’s is comprised of two food trucks that are conveniently located in the downtown area. Also convenient, as least for me, is that they are parked right in front of two awesome bars 🍺🍷This pretty much completes my life. The main location is at Cheer Up Charlie’s, right in the heart of Austin’s famous music scene. And they have a new location along a very popular strip on the east side at Drinks Lounge. I went to their opening a couple of weeks ago and it was packed! Arlo’s is well loved here.

[Read more…]

Vegans Love Pitbulls!

July 27, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Last month there were so many animal events going on in Austin that I could barely keep my head on straight! There were also a lot of vegan events, so as you can imagine, I felt like a kid on Christmas – if Christmas was in June and lasted the entire month. 🎁🎄

Since I’m really busy this week working on a film job, I thought I would just post some of my favorite pictures from a couple of those events. Scroll down to see cute pitties, delicious vegan food, and some of the fun happenings that make Austin such a cool city.

Weekly Reunion Rescue @ Spiderhouse

Reunion Rescue is a local pitbull rescue group and founder Cindy sets up camp at a popular coffeehouse near the University of Texas to educate people, get donations to help the dogs, and most importantly, get them adopted! On the particular day that I showed up, there were 3 adorable pitbulls with Cindy, all looking for their forever homes.

Meet Amber and her cute nose:

As you can see above, Amber was an abuse case and most likely had acid or something similar poured over her head. Yet when I met her, she was as sweet as could be and loves children!

[Read more…]

Culinary Creations at Bistro Vonish Food Truck

June 12, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

The beautiful creation you see above is from the delicious food truck in Austin, Texas called Bon Vonish, run by the very talented Chef Craig. The menu changes daily, based on what local and seasonal ingredients are available, and everything is vegan and often gluten free. Appetizers, side dishes, main course, brunch, desserts – this food truck has it all. And Craig does a wonderful job of showcasing the beauty and versatility of plant based dishes with his unique touch.

On the rainy day my friend and I visited, there was comfort food (mac & cheese), kolaches, pizza, salad, a chocolate mousse pie, and more! There’s something for everyone, vegan and non-vegan alike. What I like about Bistro Vonish is that anyone can enjoy it regardless of their food lifestyle. It’s tasty, filling, healthy, and each dish looks like a piece of art!

[Read more…]

Rabbit Food Grocery: Austin’s First Vegan Grocery Store!

May 27, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

In honor of my birthday this week and also the Vida Vegan Con Bazaar & Conference, I’m publishing three posts instead of my usual two. I know, stop the presses. But I’m pretty excited, I feel like Vida Vegan Con purposely scheduled their conference this weekend because they knew it was my birthday. Okay, probably not. Seriously though, Vida Vegan Con is going to have some awesome speakers like Gene Baur, founder of Farm Sanctuary, and 40+ classes, panels, and workshops. Annnnd to kick it all off they are throwing a Vegan Bazaar with tons of local vendors giving out swag (did I tell you how much I love swag?), a Decadent Dessert Demo with Fran Costigan, and more! If you don’t live in Austin and can’t attend – don’t worry! – I’ll be there taking pictures until I have to drive down to the Texas coast for my b-day shenanigans.

Rabbit Food Grocery ties into my speech about Vida Vegan Con because they will be there in all their shining glory. They are Austin’s first all vegan & cruelty-free grocery store and I’m thrilled. I literally want to buy everything in their store. Rabbit Food was founded back in 2008 by Jessica Morris and Gabriel Figueroa, both longtime vegans; they would set up pop-up shops around town during events. Jump forward to January 2015, thanks to Kickstarter donations and lots of hard work, they’ve opened up their first physical store. Yeaaaah!

[Read more…]

Anatomy of a Dog Rescue

May 15, 2015 by Jillian Leave a Comment

Animal rescue is something very near and dear to my heart, and dog rescue is something that I’ve been lucky enough to actively participate in. It’s gut wrenching, heartbreaking, stressful, tragic, inspiring, and extremely rewarding. It’s taught me that every life counts and every life is worth saving and fighting for.

I want to tell you a story about a very special dog named Pretty Girl. She’s taught me a lot and I’m very proud of her. If you look closely at the photo above, you’ll notice that Pretty Girl is missing one of her front legs. This by no means defines her, it merely makes her extra cute & unique.

If you’ve ever rescued, adopted, or loved a dog, maybe you can relate to this post and the struggles I went through for this girl. Regardless, I think everyone can relate to fighting for something they believe in and for someone they love. This “someone” just happens to have a shiny fur coat and a wet nose.

[Read more…]